This invention refers to amusement devices particularly those employing magnetic flux fields to create cantilevered indicators.
The attractive and repulsive properties of magnets are known. Similarly, magnets have been employed for various purposes in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,414 employs a magnetically influenced pointer. U.S. Pat. No. 1,257,045 illustrates an arm supported random pointer. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,290 illustrates a filament supported random pointer. All known magnetic pointers and amusement devices demonstrate a captive magnetic influence which is to say that, when they come to rest, there is positive magnetic attraction north to south or magnet to metal. Also, their actions are very limited due to the stopping effects of such attractions in the devices described.
To date, no magnetic amusement device or pointer has been found that actually utilizes the direction of flow of the magnetic flux fields to achieve a cantilever thus permitting the actual floating of a portion of one magnet within the flux field of a second, influencing magnet. Thus, it has been impossible to create an amusement device in which variations in the flux field exerted by one magnet would result in changes in the orientation of another influencing magnet. Employing such principals would yield a desirable, interesting and innovative amusement device.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an amusement device which uses opposing magnetic fields to suspend or cantilever one magnet within the field exerted by another.
It is also desirable that the suspended magnet be freely movable about a central point and the orientation of the other magnet be movable to exert changing influences on the influenced magnet. It is also desirable that the principal so discovered be used to achieve a directional pointer through slight changes in the relationship of the elements involved.
It is also desirable that extremely minor repositioning of the base magnet influences pointer direction.